POMPEII: Unveiling Data Visualization Mastery
A Conversation with Mohamad Waked
Hi! I am Natalia, the editor of the Make Your Data Speak community journal. I’m excited to announce that our team has the opportunity to interview the wonderful data professional, the creative and enigmatic Mohamad Waked from Egypt.
His vibrant and unforgettable data visualization projects are, I believe, known to everyone in our industry. These include “The Unwelcomed,” a project dedicated to migrants who tragically lost their lives while crossing borders, and the slightly chilling “Horrified? Don’t Be.” However, I believe his most vivid and intricate project to date is “Pompeii: The Angry Face of Nature,” which explores the horrifying catastrophes in human history, with a particular focus on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of the ancient city of Pompeii.
Therefore, we’re eager to inquire about the history behind the creation of this particular project and Mohamad’s creative process as a whole.
Natalia:
Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Your journey in the industry is quite intriguing, yet you remain a somewhat enigmatic figure in the data visualization community, despite your projects being widely known.
Mohamad:
Thank you, Natalia, for having me and for your first thought-provoking question. I am an independent data visualization designer based in Cairo. I graduated as a mechanical design and production engineer, but later transitioned into data science, then data visualization design, and most recently data journalism.
My early career was as a process analytics engineer in an automotive manufacturing company. This was one of my early meetings with data. I had to deal with a vast amount of data aiming to improve the productivity and efficiency of the production line. This made me gradually shift my practical and learning focus toward data science. Then I had the opportunity to enforce my back by getting a specialization in Data Science from Johns Hopkins University.
During my career, I was consciously observing my delight when it came to presenting the results of any analysis in a chart or graph. It is always the point where I feel that all my brain potential gets unleashed. Because you have to think and work using your whole brain power. The logical and analytical side together with the creative and artistic side. This was the main driver behind my second shift to data visualization. I still remember that day when I heard my internal voice saying:
“This is my life task. This is where I can express my uniqueness. This is how I can serve others”.
After a few years of studying, self-development, and practical experience, I created Alhadaqa as my personal DataViz Lab. There I can express part of my passion for data visualization, to people and for people through a series of personal dataviz projects on a variety of topics: serious ones like migrants or natural disasters, and light ones like movies or sports. My projects proudly have won different awards on both regional and global levels i.e. Malofiej Awards, The Pudding Cup, and a gold medal from the Center for Global Data Visualization.
Regarding the indirect part of your question, which is somehow being enigmatic. I believe that my personality type could be the main cause of that. I always prefer to work quietly and let my work speak for itself. Add to that my limited presence on social media, my different mother language, and my current place of residence, which is far from the core data visualization centers in Europe and America, may also contribute to that. But, I’m happy that my projects resonate with the global audience despite all obstacles. The good news is that I was recently interviewed by Alberto Cairo. to be a part of his new book “The Art of Insight: How Great Visualization Designers Think” and also by Anne-Marie Dufour for the new edition of her book with Elijah Meeks “D3.js in Action”.
Natalia:
Your project Pompeii is incredibly captivating — it’s filled with stunning visualizations, and poignant illustrations, and carries an emotional weight as it reveals the causes of millions of deaths. Why did you choose such a topic and decide to share it? Was it a chance occurrence or a path you had been on for a while?
Mohamad:
Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it. I have been fascinated by nature and all its beauty and secrets since I was a child. The project was sparked by the coronavirus pandemic and the open-ended debate that arose during its initial phase: “Does coronavirus have natural or artificial origins?” This made me think about our relationship with nature. Are we giving it the respect and treatment it deserves? How can nature be cruel when it gets angry? I found this is something that could have added value to the world and ignited my curiosity to explore. I delved into history to research some of the most extreme events, and one of the major events that stopped me was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 destroying the Roman city of Pompeii. This gave me a semi-clear picture of what I was going to create.
Natalia:
Could you walk us through your creative process? The project comprises various components — storytelling and interactive colorful data visualizations. I assume this didn’t all come together at once. Could you share the stages of the project? Did you handle everything yourself or involve collaborators? What tools did you use, and did you have to abandon any tools and methods along the way?
Mohamad:
This is a complex question, but simply, I prefer to be in control of all dimensions and components of my projects. My accumulated experience in several fields such as data science, data visualization, designing, illustrating, coding, as well as storytelling is the main reason behind independently handling my projects without any external help. Also, my experience in project management as a professional project manager (PMP®), accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), allowed me to easily manage all aspects of the project together and assure the integrity of all components together. I usually divide the project into phases and work packages contained within an estimated time schedule.
The phases are basically:
1. Initiating & Ideating: The main activities of this phase are: ideation, idea formulation and validation, research, data gathering and collecting, value proposition, and an estimated initial plan.
2. Exploring & Conceptualizing: In this phase, I explore the idea and deeply dive into the data I have collected during the initiation phase in order to come up with a crystal clear concept and direction based on the insights I have found. It is important to highlight here that I aim to visualize insights not data.
4. Innovating & Prototyping: In most of my projects, I’m trying to push the boundaries by testing and trying something new and different. For me, this is one of the most interesting phases throughout the project lifecycle. While formulating the final concepts for my data visualizations, I always try to explore different ideas, ranging from conventional to extremely unconventional. The final tests and design decisions take place in this stage.
3. Planning & Packaging: This phase involves creating a comprehensive roadmap for all production tasks. I grouped similar components, such as data visualizations, illustrations, and the story, based on the project’s final concept.
5. Producing & Publishing: This phase is when all production activities are carried out in accordance with the project master plan and the defined work packages. Integration of all project elements is also taking place in this phase, along with some quality assurance tests. After production, I move on to publishing-related activities such as web hosting and marketing materials.
It is crucial to note that your plan should not be treated as a static document. It is a dynamic document that should be revised and updated on a regular basis based on new findings or constraints.
The tools I use are, mainly:
- R for data exploration and analysis.
- D3.js for prototyping and data visualization final production.
- Concepts App for sketching and concept design.
- Sketches Pro, Procreate, and Adobe Illustrator for illustrations.
Natalia:
The story is rich in engaging illustrations. How did you come up with them? Was the decision to enrich the story with illustrations deliberate?
Mohamad:
Yes, one of the strategic directions of the Pompeii project is to make it an illustrated data-driven story. The Pompeii Incident is considered one of the most traumatic natural disasters in history and its impact is heightened by the remains of people and part of the city that were discovered by chance afterwards. So, I realized that illustrations should come hand in hand with data visualizations in order to deliver the message behind this project in a clearer format. I love illustrating and sketching the same way I love data visualization. My personal projects are always an opportunity to practice drawing and illustrating, something that life has kept me away from with all its burdens.
So, the answer to your question is ‘Yes, I create the illustrations by myself.’ 😊
I created them using Procreate on my iPad. Illustrations always come after finishing the storyline where I am now able to see what and where all illustrated elements should be inserted. I always try to be connected to reality in my illustrations but with an imaginative approach.
You can see the illustration process in the picture below.
Natalia:
Did everything in your project go as planned, or did you have to change strategies at some point? Were there any major challenges or tasks that required more resources than anticipated?
Mohamad:
It is important to emphasize that every designer should be as agile as possible in order to create the best iteration of their final product. This involves treating the project phases iteratively and cyclically rather than linearly. However, this project was run smoothly as planned with very few iterations. One of the biggest challenges was trying, based on the theme and story of the project, to design in a natural format and give all of my designs a natural, chaotic, and beautiful feel. As a result, I had to avoid using any geometric shapes such as straight lines and circles. I was trying to mimic nature using lines of code which is very challenging. For this reason, I spent about 6 weeks in the Innovating & Prototyping phase trying different things until I reached a satisfactory point.
Another challenge was in the number of data points I planned to visualize. I always tend to visualize every data point because I see every data point has its own story that should be respected, but during the Exploring and Conceptualizing phase of this project, I discovered that only about 10% of disasters are the leading cause of about 99% of deaths so, I decided to only focus those 10%.
Another tiny improvement I made at the end of the production phase, something I had not planned at all, was adding sound effects that could be played in the background while going through the story.
Natalia:
Apart from the beautiful data visualization, your project incorporates captivating storytelling that gradually reveals the entire project’s concept as data visualizations seamlessly transition into each other, providing readers with profound immersion in the subject matter. Was adding storytelling a necessity to explain complex visualizations? Or did you want to tell the disaster story more effectively? Or is this part of your journey as a data journalist?
Mohamad:
I believe that letters and numbers are machine languages, not human languages. In order to communicate with people, we must use the means they understand naturally. People understand stories, not letters. People understand visuals, not numbers. I believe that the main role of a data visualization designer is not just to make people understand or see data, but to make them feel it deeply. Therefore, in some really important projects that reveal a lot of value, a lot of points should be considered in order to clearly and nicely deliver the right message, starting from the headline and ending with the story finale. It’s like directing a movie that guides the viewer step-by-step, immersing them deeply in the story. I believe this is the best way to present dry data projects. The storyline and how it unfolds is the backbone of my data projects, and I treat it very carefully. As you mentioned it could be unusual in the data art or data visualization industry but I think this is one of the most effective ways of telling a data-driven story.
Natalia:
Where does the Pompeii project stand among your other data visualization projects? Are there any other projects of yours that you’d like to mention as significant in your career?
Mohamad:
“Pompeii: The Angry Face of Nature” is at the core of my data visualization projects. I am very fond of it. It contains a lot of valuable direct and indirect messages. It was the final product of one of the most complicated lines of code I ever wrote. While it leans more toward the data art side, it remains understandable and readable by the average person. Learning about and being inspired by nature was a major step forward for me as a designer. It influenced my design decisions in all my subsequent projects.
Every personal project is a step forward for me because it allows me to test and try new things. However, if I had to choose one project, it would be “The Unwelcomed”. It was one of the first projects that allowed me to showcase my full capabilities, and I believe it is the project that helped me position myself in the right place in the industry and the global ecosystem.
Natalia:
What are your upcoming plans? Perhaps you could share some future ideas or directions you’d like to explore and develop.
Mohamad:
I am always learning, exploring, and trying new things. One of the most interesting areas I am currently exploring is 3D data visualization. I know that 3D charts have been considered to be pure evil for years, but I believe that once an effective project is created using this visual technique, it will change this perception. I also have an inner voice that’s growing stronger, urging me to explore illustrated infographics and nurture my artistic drawing and illustration skills.
I also have a future plan to start my own blog in which I record and share all my experiences and lessons learned that have been accumulated over the years, and perhaps this may turn into a book after that.
Natalia:
What are your thoughts on the state of the data visualization industry in your country (Egypt) and worldwide?
Mohamad:
At the national and regional levels, I still see that we are lagging behind the global pace. Unfortunately, I do not see any serious or real steps being taken to catch up. Only some individual initiatives and attempts have been made, but they have not lasted long due to a lack of support.
However, globally, I still see the data visualization industry making slow but steady progress. It is in a better state than it was previously. Data visualization has begun to penetrate strongly into the field of journalism, but I still see a huge gap in the rest of the fields. I envision data visualization becoming ubiquitous in all industries, applied in every context, and integrated into our daily lives.
I believe that data visualization has the potential to make information more accessible and understandable to everyone, and I hope to see it used to improve decision-making and problem-solving in all areas of society.
Natalia:
What advice would you give to aspiring data visualizers who are considering entering the industry or are already seeking their first projects?
Mohamad:
Yes, if there is one piece of advice, I would say: try to start immediately. Find data that you are interested in, and then think about how you can turn it into data visualization that makes everyone who views it care as much as you do.
But if I have a space for 10 pieces of advice, I would like to list them as follows:
- You will meet your passion at some point, just be conscious and keep moving.
- It’s fine to enjoy what you’re passionate about, but it’s great to use your passion to make an impact.
- Problems are the primary catalyst for good ideas and make us wonder how to be part of the solution.
- Data is everywhere, but it’s like a chameleon that changes its appearance according to its surroundings.
- Data grows as a tree. While dealing with it, don’t just look at its branches and leaves but dig deep down to its roots.
- While communicating data to people, just remember that people are emotional creatures rather than logical creatures.
- Design in nature is all about engineering smaller parts to perfectly work together constructing the bigger ones.
- Don’t allow tradition to get in the way of innovation. It’s good to respect the rules, but sometimes breaking them works better.
- Ideation is important, but sketching is essential, as it’s the door to your great ideas.
- Feedback is road signs, and recognition is the fuel that keeps you moving forward.
Thanks to Mohamad for his excellent detailed answers, and his inspiring advice!
Thank you for reading!
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